A folding apparatus, such as the one which is known from WO 00/56652 A1, is comprised of a superstructure, in which paper webs, which have been fed from one or from several printing groups, are brought together, are possibly longitudinally cut and placed on top of each other. At least one former, in which a continuous web, that is combined in the superstructure from one or several paper webs, is longitudinally folded, and a transverse cutting arrangement, in which the longitudinally folded continuous web is separated into individual products are part of the superstructure. Often, the transverse cutting device is configured as a rotating cutter cylinder, whose cutters work together with a thrust element on a gripper or on a folding blade cylinder to sever the continuous web. The grippers of this gripper or folding blade cylinder maintain the products, which have been cut apart by the transverse cutting device, fixed to the surface of the gripper or folding blade cylinder and convey them to a transfer gap located between the folding blade cylinder and a folding jaw cylinder. There, a folding blade extends out of the folding blade cylinder in order to introduce the product held thereon along a center transverse line into a folding jaw of the folding jaw cylinder and to fold it transversely in this way.
To draw a paper web for the first time into a printing press, it is known, from EP 0 553 740 B1, to use a holding element in the form of a rail-guided chain link element, to which holding element the leading edge of the web to be drawn in, which leading edge has been torn off obliquely, is fastened. The guide rail extends next to the intended path of travel of the web through the printing press as far as the superstructure of a folding apparatus.
At the folding apparatus, the web is taken over by a draw-in device which is configured in the form of two spike-covered belts, as described in connection with the previously mentioned WO 00/56652 A1. Spikes of these belts spear the web along its lateral edges and pull it over an insertion roller at the upper edge of the former, as well as over the former itself.
The pulling elements, which are independent of the guide rail and the holding element conducted on it are the elements provided on the former. It is thus achieved that, in accordance with the respective width of the webs to be processed, the former can be displaced in such a way that a web, which was folded on the displaceable former, enters the transverse cutting device exactly in the center of the cutting device. This is of importance for an interference-free functioning of the transverse cutting device, and is in particular, important for the proper operation of the downstream-connected transverse folding device.
DE 42 10 190 A1 discloses a cutting device with an integrated shunt. The cutting device is arranged between draw-in rollers and folding cylinders.
DE 101 28 821 shows a device for bringing paper webs together in the course of the webs being drawn in.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,125,335 discloses a device for drawing in webs of material, by the use of belts.
EP 0 673 764 A discloses a device for drawing webs of material to be imprinted in over turning bars. Partial webs to be imprinted are drawn in using draw-in tips fastened on lateral sheet chains extending in guide rails.
A former device is known from WO 2004/056686 A1. The former or formers is or are movable transversely to the running direction of the web of material, by the use of at least one actuating member, for matching different web widths.
A longitudinally variable guide rail element for a roller chain, which is usable as a draw-in device for a paper web, is known from WO 98/50234 A1.
Later published DE 10 2004 022 541 A1 shows an arrangement for drawing in a web along a longitudinal former.
DE 33 12 038 A1 discloses a device for drawing in webs of material into rotary printing presses by the use of a draw-in belt. The returning portion of the draw-in belt is conducted over a different pathway in contrast to the drawing-in portion.
Later published WO 2005/092614 A2 describes an arrangement for drawing a web of material into a folding apparatus with a former, a transverse cutting device, as well as a guide rail. The arrangement has a cutting device.